Researchers Simulate Monster EF5 Tornado

New submitter Orp writes: I am the member of a research team that created a supercell thunderstorm simulation that is getting a lot of attention. Presented at the 27th Annual Severe Local Storms Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, Leigh Orf's talk was produced entirely as high def video and put on YouTube shortly after the presentation. In the simulation, the storm's updraft is so strong that it essentially peels rain-cooled air near the surface upward and into the storm's updraft, which appears to play a key role in maintaining the tornado. The simulation was based upon the environment that produced the May 24, 2011 outbreak which included a long-track EF5 tornado near El Reno Oklahoma (not to be confused with the May 31, 2013 EF5 tornado that killed three storm researchers).

Comments

Re:Presentation as seen on YouTube well done

[JustShootMe]

There was a lot of jargon. Let's see if I can help.

baroclinic == energy created by movement of air because of differences in pressure.
forward flank downdraft == I believe the downdraft caused by the air cooled by the rain, also could be air forced down by the forward movement of the storm. Usually cool and wet.
rear flank downdraft == warm, dry air that hits the storm from the back and is forced downward.
mesocyclone == the rotating updraft in a supercell.

Basically, he's stating that the interface between the different types of air on the ground is creating a rolling tube of air, and the updraft of the storm is so powerful that it sucks that tube up - and the energy of the rotation helps to give the updraft an extra "kick"... which helps to power and maintain the rotation of a long-track tornado. That tube isn't the tornado itself, it just powers the updraft that spins the tornado.